Still digesting this one. Extremely odd characters, although fully developed and uniquely quirky. I have read several of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novels, but this one is set in the ordinary 1960s and appears to be an editorial comment on how women disappear within a marriage and motherhood as they become caretakers and compliant companions.

The protagonist, Marian, works in market research is about to marry Peter, a rather humorless and anally retentive lawyer. Her flaky roommate, Ainsley, decides to have a deliberately fatherless baby; her friend Clara is an exhausted mother of three small children close in age; and then there Duncan, a bizarre, prevaricating graduate student she meets while doing marketing research and almost providentially bumps into thereafter, repeatedly, and who spends time in a laundromat calming himself by watching the clothes tumble and doing other odd things to deal with his anxiety.

Marian and Peter’s approaching nuptials seem to coincide with Marian’s deepening revulsion toward food. She first cannot eat meat because she pictures the whole living animal, then eggs, and eventually even vegetables, and many other kinds of foods. She has recurring thoughts of disappearing, wasting away. Most of the story is rather humorous despite the odd characters and their serious issues. I did not love it, but I was invested in the story. ( )

It took me forever to get into this one. Marian is so cowardly and cringing that I was not ever really sympathetic with her, and Ainsley came across as overly immature or dumb most of the time. I did like the comparison of cattle in a slaughterhouse chute and women finding spouses and being married off. All the characters felt less than realistic, though I suppose there are lots of people for whom being 'normal' really is that important. Maybe I'm just lucky to not have too many people like these in my own circles. So, while I had a hard time relating to any of the characters or caring much about the story for the first half of the book, I did enjoy it once the story started to come together more. ( )

This is a wonderful, early novel by the peerless Ms. Atwood. The book sparkles despite its age. The protagonist - a mid-20's single woman - is, of course, very well drawn, with a depth of (interesting) personality and character. As I got deep into the book I developed some reactions & feelings about a relationship that I saw as disrespectful of her, as well as quite dismissive of women overall. Marian's resolution of the several issues in the book is powerful & direct (and quite satisfying). ( )

I couldn't get into the characters of the book. Marian didn't seem to know herself (well, she was young; who knows themself at that age), and was getting married to a boyfriend that I feel like she didn't know. Her subconscious was taking over, I suppose, by not letting her eat, it was boycotting the whole marriage idea. Kind of strange. ( )

I enjoy the style of Margaret Atwood's writing and was enthralled by the flow of her words. It is not an exciting read, but it is an interesting one. ( )